Woodcarver, stylistically close to
Donatello in his old age, and to Desiderio da
Settignano
Crucifix
ca. 1460
legno di pero
pear wood
San Piero a Sieve, Convent of San Bonaventura at Bosco ai Frati, Chapter Hall
On June 13th, 1542 an earthquake hit the Mugello,
and the Crucifix which stood in the presbytery of the
church at the convent of Bosco ai Frati collapsed, thus
suffering serious damage. Soon after, a painter from
Scarperia tried to repair it. This is the most ancient
information regarding the Crucifix, which therefore had
originally a privileged location, possibly over the
work by Fra Angelico placed on the main altar. As a
consequence of the damage suffered, it must have been
moved, for indeed the documents related to the
renovation of the main altar (1626) and to a fire
(1670) do not mention it at all.
It was only in the 20th century, in the period
between the two world wars, that the Crucifix was
documented again, in some photographs, as hanging over
the altar of the left wall of the church. Afterwards,
it was moved downstairs in the sepulchral crypt of the
Gerini Marquises where in 1953 it was “discovered” by
Alessandro Parronchi, directly attributing it to
Donatello and dating it to 1430. The Crucifix was
immediately restored and the loincloth which had
replaced the original one was removed, together with
the stucco additions on the right side of the head.
The two points on which all scholars seem to agree are, first, that the Crucifix was made expressly for the convent, and second, that it was commissioned by the Medici family, given that the complex had been renovated in the 1420s at Cosimo’s expense. After 1450 the latter had also commissioned Fra Angelico the altarpiece for the main altar (Florence, San Marco Museum) and, later on, Cosimo’s son, Piero, had the precious triptych by Nicolas Froment (Florence, Uffizi Gallery) sent there, as well as other precious furnishings.
Instead, as regards the artist and the dating
there are no absolute certainties: critics still have
some doubts about this point, even though the study
carried out on the occasion of the 2008 exhibition
underlines a strong Donatellian influence, deriving
from the mature works of the master (precisely at the
moment when Donatello was transferred to Siena between
1457 and 1461), and suggests further research among the
pupils and assistants close to the by then affirmed
Desiderio da Settignano.
Crucifix
ca. 1460
legno di pero
pear wood
San Piero a Sieve, Convent of San Bonaventura at Bosco ai Frati, Chapter Hall
The two points on which all scholars seem to agree are, first, that the Crucifix was made expressly for the convent, and second, that it was commissioned by the Medici family, given that the complex had been renovated in the 1420s at Cosimo’s expense. After 1450 the latter had also commissioned Fra Angelico the altarpiece for the main altar (Florence, San Marco Museum) and, later on, Cosimo’s son, Piero, had the precious triptych by Nicolas Froment (Florence, Uffizi Gallery) sent there, as well as other precious furnishings.
Donatello, Brunelleschi
and the Man on the Cross
The Church and Convent of Bosco ai Frati
Donatello, Crucifix
Filippo Brunelleschi, Crucifix
The Church and Convent of Bosco ai Frati
Donatello, Crucifix
Filippo Brunelleschi, Crucifix